How to Get & Plant Wild Strawberries

Prized for their fragrant fruit and dainty white flowers, wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana) make a suitable addition to ornamental and kitchen gardens within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 8. Wild strawberries are seldom found in commercial nurseries, so gardeners hoping to grow them must propagate the plants themselves. Once propagated, wild strawberry plants will thrive if planted in a lightly shaded, fast-draining bed. However, the plants must be properly spaced and mulched to produce a substantial crop of berries.

1

Start new wild strawberry plants in late spring or early summer. Look around the base of an established wild strawberry plant for a rooted plantlet, which is formed where a stem touches the ground and takes root.

2

Sever the stem connecting the wild strawberry and the rooted plantlet. Use a pair of sharp, clean shears. Measure out a 3-inch circle around the base of the plantlet. Dig down to a 5-inch depth along the 3-inch mark using a handheld spade.

3

Pry the rooted plantlet from the soil, and fill in the hole left by it with dirt. Transfer the plantlet into a 4-inch pot filled with a mix of half garden soil and half acidic compost. Water the wild strawberry thoroughly, and place it in a lightly shaded area.

4

Grow the wild strawberry in a lightly shaded area for three to four weeks to allow it time to establish a larger, more productive root system. Move the plants to an area of the garden with four to six hours of sun each day during the summer months. Provide 1 inch of water each week.

5

Prepare a planting site in autumn in coastal areas or the following spring in inland areas. Choose a raised bed, if possible, or weed a planting area that provides 12 to 14 square inches of space for each plant. Avoid poorly drained areas or those with rocky, inorganic soil.

6

Work a 5-inch-thick layer of mildly acidic, organic compost into the top 10 inches of soil. Plant the wild strawberries 8 to 14 inches apart in a raised bed or 12 inches apart in the ground. Make the planting holes 1 inch shallower than the pots so the base of the plants are slightly above the soil level.

7

Water each wild strawberry to a 4-inch depth after planting. Spread a 2-inch-thick layer of mulch around each plant to keep the soil moist. Leave a 1-inch gap between the mulch and the base of the wild strawberry plants.

8

Provide 1 inch of water each week throughout the growing season. Withhold watering during rainy or cool weather to decrease the likelihood of rot. Increase watering to twice weekly during extended periods of drought or heat.